ABUJA (Reuters) - The United Nations has doubled its humanitarian funding appeal for northeastern Nigeria to $1 billion in 2017, in a bid to reach nearly seven million people hit by the Boko Haram insurgency, the U.N. said on Friday.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs sought $484 million in 2016, although it initially appealed for $248 million.

The Islamic insurgency of Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million from their homes during a seven-year uprising.